Process of determining the percentage of water in butter.



GEORGE E. PATRICK, OF AMES, IOWA.

PROCESS OF DETERMINING THE PERCENTAGE OF WATER IN BUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

Application filed JulylZ, 1907. Serial No. 383,589.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, Gnonen E. PATRICK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, District of (Iolumbia, (with legal residence atAntes, Iowa,) have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Processof Determining the Percentage of Water in Butter, of which the followingis a specification This invention relates to the process of determiningthe water content of butter by heating in an aluminium or other metallicvessel a weighed portion of the butter until all water is evaporated andthen weighing again,

and has for its object to render theprocess more expeditious.

This application is made under the act of March 3, I 883, chapter 143(22 Stat. (325) and the invention herein described and claimed may beused by the Government of the United States or any of its officers oremployees in the prosecution of work for the United States, or by anyperson in the United States, without the payment of any royalty thereon.

Heretofore, in carrying out this process the usual custom has been toplace the vessel in an oven heated to about the temperature of boilingwater for an hour or more, until by repeated weighings it is found thatthe loss of weight has ceased. Also, it has been proposed (by Richmond,Laboratory Book of Dairy Analyst's, London, 1905, p. 60) to heat thevessel supported on a tripod or a sandbath, over a very smallflame,'stirring the contents constantly with a stirring rod, untilfrothing has ceased.

In the first of these methods it is impracticable to hasten theevaporation by a very much higher degree of heat, because to do thiswould cause charring or decomposition of some of the constituents of thebutter before all of the water would be evaporated; and in the secondmethod the prevention of charring by stirring with a rod is a difficultand tiresome task, when the degree of heat is sufficient for reallyrapid drying.

In my roccss I attain the desired end, namely, the rapid evaporation ofall the water from the butter without serious decomposition of anyconstituent of the butter, by keeping the vessel in constant motionwhile heating i t directly over the flame of a lamp.

The details of my process are as follows: I weigh ten grams of butterinto an aluminium beaker, grasp the beaker near its top with a clamp orbeaker-holder, and, holding it in a vertical position and keeping it inconstant rotation by motion of the hand, heat it over the liame of analcohol lamp. In order to render the [lame steady, concentrate the heat,and prevent the deposition of soot upon the bottom of the beaker, Iplace upon the alcohol lamp a cone-shaped chimney about six inches high,made of asbestos paper and well ventilated at the base; but thischimney, while advantageous, is not an indispensable part of theapparatus. The intensity of the heat applied to the beaker is regulatedby the distance the latter is held above the flame, or above the top ofthe cone. While'the water of the butter is actively boiling, under thecombined influence of heat and the rotary motion, there is but littledanger of over-heating the charge. During this stage of the process thesides of the beaker are not allowed to reach a temperature at whichsizzling is produced when they are touched with the moistened finger,but the bottom of the beaker is necessarily at such a temperature toeffect the boiling off of the water. After the greater part of the waterhas been expelled and the final foaming has occurred, the dangerofover-heating is much greater, and to avoid error from this source, Iexpel the remaining water and dispel the greater part of the foam byrepeatedly heating the sides of the beaker just to the sizzlingtemperature and innuediately thereafter throwing the foam upon them by alively rotation. This treatment I continue until the amount of foamceases to sensibly diminish. And toward the end of this treatment Ire-heat the bottom of the beaker once or twice just to the sizzlingtemperature, in order to make sure that no more foam can be developedunder these conditions, and, therefore, that all water has beenexpelled. By this procedure I am able to completely dry the charge ofbutter in a few minutes, with only a very slight discoloration, if anyat all.

I claim:

The process of determining water in butter, which consists in heating aweighed portion of butter in an aluminium beaker with constant rotationover a current of hot air till most of the water has boiled away and thefinal foaming has occurred, then exposing the sides of the beaker tothehot air at a sizzling temperature while just maintaining the bottomheat, then cooling and rcweighinc'.

GEORGE E. PATRICK.

Witnesses:

Hnnnnn'r S. BAILEY, .TNO. T. Knis'rnn.

